Voice your opinion: Improvements to TFC server

It's been a while since we had a fresh topic on the TFC server. We commented about the new people that came on around this time last year, and thought it would be a good idea to give new tN members, as well as any other new forum members a chance to voice their opinions about the TFC server and any changes they'd like to see.

Recently we've changed the max spy count to be dependant on the # of humans in the server. I think that's an excellent way to help balance out blue from being too strong when bots are present. Spies mean less when there are all humans, but with bots it's too easy to walk by them and cap the flag. I think this is a very good change and would like to see it stay.

I'll get the ball rolling with one idea. Picture this scenario. Dustbowl is being played and the vote is "rocked". Avanti is picked and the 10 humans in the server play Avanti next. Because the map is not Dustbowl, the vote is automatically rocked, and no one picks a map. The default maps are 5 random maps on the server that no one cares about, or that don't play well with bots. A little-known or not bot-friendly map gets picked by default, and everyone leaves.

Is there a way that we can do the following:

- Make the 5 maps that appear on a vote, popular, bot-friendly maps so that even if people forget to list a map to vote on, a more "well-known" bot-friendly map will be chosen so that it doesn't automatically clear the server.

- Always make one of those 5 maps Dustbowl, so that folks that come on our "Dustbowl or vote" server can choose Dustbowl even if they forget to vote for it during the game.

One other suggestion that we should discuss would be: Make it so that the vote doesn't come up by default on a non-dustbowl map, and the server automatically reverts back to dustbowl after the voted on map is played... unless someone rtv's and it's agreed upon, in which case, those 5 bot-friendly maps (including dustbowl) will pop up.

Lets hear your opinions on this and any other suggestions for the server. Thank you to the server admins for hearing / actioning ideas that are popular with the majority.

Seconded. Lowering the spy limit without many real players was a MUST and I think has improved the game considerably.

I would also think that a forced list for RTV is a good idea. The only hiccup I see is that I really can't think of many maps the bots can play without ruining the game themselves. The rotation would almost have to be 2fort, Well, Rock2 and Dustbowl if we factor in their abilities.

Something should definitely be done about the randomness but it's hard when players are nominating maps. I think Dustbowl should always be in the option menu and should always be reverted back after a new map is chosen (unless RTV is voted in again). Maybe taking out the nominations part is also an idea? The list to choose from can be 6-8 maps, so maybe have 4 A&D maps and 4 CTF/Other maps and that can be the only votable options if RTV goes through. Mods can change the maps, too, if something is being pushed.

Seconded. Lowering the spy limit without many real players was a MUST and I think has improved the game considerably.

I would also think that a forced list for RTV is a good idea. The only hiccup I see is that I really can't think of many maps the bots can play without ruining the game themselves. The rotation would almost have to be 2fort, Well, Rock2 and Dustbowl if we factor in their abilities.

Something should definitely be done about the randomness but it's hard when players are nominating maps. I think Dustbowl should always be in the option menu and should always be reverted back after a new map is chosen (unless RTV is voted in again). Maybe taking out the nominations part is also an idea? The list to choose from can be 6-8 maps, so maybe have 4 A&D maps and 4 CTF/Other maps and that can be the only votable options if RTV goes through. Mods can change the maps, too, if something is being pushed.

You're right in that there are not many maps that the bots can play. I think forcing the server back to dustbowl unless the vote is rocked again will help this problem, as the server won't just default to castlearch2... a map where the blue bots fall off the edge.... lol.

I like your idea about limiting the nominations to 6 or 8 different maps. I wish there was a way to limit what maps could be nominated... but keep the other custom ones in the server so that we can play them when the server is full of humans and it doesn't drive people away. There's about 2 or 3 people that nominate dub_forever constantly. I don't mind that map, but it drives people away more often than not.

Can we fix the RTV? The current rockthevote system is broken. In order for us to get a new map 10 people have to phsyically type "vote mapname" and one map need 10 votes or it doesnt change. So if it get 9 votes its dustbowl again... Lets be real thats never going to work. Just bring back the old RTV with the 1 2 3 4 5 6 menu to pick maps, and make the limit way lower like 4 or 5.